Egypt’s prominent 6 April Youth Movement has denied taking part in Friday’s mass rally in Cairo in support of President Mohamed Morsi, in which hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took part.
At one point during Friday’s rally, which was endorsed by 17 Egyptian Islamist parties, a speaker on the makeshift stage announced the arrival of 6 April members to loud applause from the crowds.
In a statement issued Friday evening, however, the youth group – which has been increasingly critical of President Morsi – sarcastically commented that its involvement in Friday’s pro-Morsi rallies would “classify as science fiction.”
The youth group, which played a key role in Egypt’s 2011 popular uprising, has recently joined the anti-government ‘Rebel’ campaign, which aims to collect 15 million citizens’ signatures calling for Morsi’s ouster.
Friday’s Islamist demonstrations, held outside the Rabaa Al-Adawiya Mosque in Cairo’s Nasr City district, were organised under the banner of “Denouncing political violence and supporting President Morsi’s democratic legitimacy.”
The rallies come only one week before planned anti-government rallies on 30 June, which have been endorsed by most opposition parties and groups, to demand that Morsi step down in advance of snap presidential elections.
Source : Ahram
